Story submitted by: Dolores, Head Start parent and staff

My name is Dolores, and I started out as a Teacher Aide and sometimes worked as the Bus Assistant in 1998 when I began working for Community Action Partnership of SLO at Valle Verde Migrant Head Start. After about five years, I got the position of Family Service Advocate and began working at Soledad Migrant Head Start.

At that time, we had a three-year-old child in our program. His older sibling had just graduated from our program and later joined the Armed Forces.

This child was usually very quiet and soft-spoken. He was very protective of other children who were picked on, especially the girls in his class. He was a very loving child, but one day he started acting out. He began hitting other kids, not listening to the teacher, and crying a lot. I started talking to him every day, asking how he was doing, and we talked about things he liked. After some time, just by listening to him each day when I came out of my office, he began running up to me for hugs whenever he saw me. Eventually, he started saying, “Te quiero mucho, Maestra,” which means, “I like you a lot, Teacher.”

Concerned about his behavior, we informed our Behavioral Health team. They suggested we speak with one of the parents to see if there were any changes at home. I called his mother into the office, and she began crying. She shared that she and her husband were having problems because he had been drinking heavily, and it was becoming a serious issue at home. They argued often, and she had thrown him out of the house more than once.

I offered her help and asked if she would like to meet with our Mental Health Consultant, contracted through our agency, and consider couple’s or family therapy—whatever was recommended. She agreed, and I began the process of submitting the necessary forms right away. Within two to three days, she was approved, and I connected her with our Marriage and Family Therapist.

In the beginning, the family struggled. Her husband initially refused therapy, and they separated for a time. I gave her resources to help him with his drinking. He began attending AA meetings and eventually agreed to meet with the therapist. This led to therapy for the entire family. Our program also offers family conferences once or twice a year, with the trip, hotel, and meals paid for. We invited them to attend one of these conferences, and they went. When they returned, they were incredibly happy. The mother told us it felt like a honeymoon. The conference helped them reflect on their family, education, and how they could grow together as parents and as a couple.

We started to see the child returning to his former self. He stopped acting out and hitting others. He began talking about how things were going at home and all the things his dad was doing with him—taking them out more often and spending time together.

In 2010, he graduated from our Preschool Program a happy child once again. In 2019, he graduated from 8th grade with awards and honors. In 2020, he entered high school and continued to excel. In 2022, he joined ROTC and, by the time he graduated in 2023, he was ready to join the Armed Forces. He began college and officially joined the Armed Forces in 2024.

The family continued to grow, and we welcomed a few of his siblings into our program as well. The parents are doing well. His father received the support he needed through our program, and they have now been together for 21 years.

This is why Head Start is so important. It’s not just about education—we serve the whole family so they can succeed in life, learn to advocate for themselves and their children, and find the strength to pursue higher education despite obstacles.

My job as a Family Service Advocate has been incredibly rewarding. I love seeing the success stories that come out of our entire Head Start Program—families who started out working in the fields, then took English, math, and college courses to build careers and become role models for their children. We see many of our Head Start kids do exceptionally well in school, earning academic awards, graduating, and going on to universities and great careers.

I’ve worked for Head Start for 27 years, and I continue to serve the community at the Santa Lucia Migrant & Seasonal Head Start center. This is why we need the government to continue funding these Head Start programs.